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Azuth
Patron of Wizards Patron of Mages Lord of Spells Hand of Sorcery Lord of Spellcraft The First Magister | symbol = | aspects = | power = | pantheon = Faerûnian pantheon | home = | formerhomes = | serves = Mystra | servedby = Savras, Velsharoon | minions = | gender = Masculine | died = 1385 DR (allegedly) | dominion = | formerdominion = | realm = | sphere = | portfolio = | domains = | spheres = | worshipers = Arcane spellcasters | cleric alignments = | favored weapon = Old Staff | holy days = | channel divinity = | race = Human | sex = Male | mortalhomes = | apotheosis = Circa 263 DR | alignment = | class = | power1e = Demipower | alignment1e = Lawful neutral | symbol1e = A human hand, forefinger pointing upward, outlined in a nimbus of blue fire | homeplane1e = Arcadia | realm1e = | serves1e = | servedby1e = | portfolio1e = Magic-users | worshipers1e = | cleric alignments1e = | holy days1e = | class1e = | refs1e = | power2e = Lesser deity, Demipower | alignment2e = Lawful neutral | symbol2e = A human hand, pointing upwards, outlined in a nimbus of blue fire | homeplane2e = Arcadia | realm2e = Buxenus/Azuth | serves2e = Mystra | servedby2e = Savras, Velsharoon | portfolio2e = Wizards, mages, spellcasters | spheres2e = All, Astral, Charm, Combat, Creation, Divination, Guardian, Healing, Necromantic, Protection, Summoning, Sun, minor: Elemental | worshipers2e = Wizards, mages, any spellcasters | cleric alignments2e = | holy days2e = Ascension of a new magister, occasional Wild Nights | class2e = | refs2e = | power3e = Lesser deity | alignment3e = Lawful neutral | symbol3e = Human left hand pointing upward outlined in blue fire. | homeplane3e = Dweomerheart | realm3e = | serves3e = Mystra, Mystra (Midnight) | servedby3e = Savras, Velsharoon | portfolio3e = Wizards, mages, Shining Hand monks, any spellcasters | domains3e = Magic, Illusion, Knowledge, Law, Spells | worshipers3e = Philosophers, sages, sorcerers, wizards | cleric alignments3e = | favored weapon3e = Old Staff (quarterstaff) | holy days3e = | class3e = | refs3e = | power4e = Dead power | alignment4e = | symbol4e = | dominion4e = | realm4e = | serves4e = | servedby4e = | sphere4e = | domains4e = | worshipers4e = | cleric alignments4e = | channel divinity4e = | holy days4e = | class4e = | refs4e = | power5e = God | alignment5e = Lawful neutral | symbol5e = Left hand, wreathed in flame, pointing skyward. | homeplane5e = | realm5e = | serves5e = | servedby5e = | portfolio5e = Wizardry | domains5e = Arcana, Knowledge | worshipers5e = Wizards | cleric alignments5e = | channel divinity5e = Arcane abjuration Knowledge of the ages Read thoughts | holy days5e = | class5e = | refs5e = | animals = Gray cats Gray dogs Gray owls Gray mice | plants = | monsters = Golems Devas | minerals = | colors = Shimmering gray | misc manifestations = Incorporeal mouth with a beard and mustache An upright glowing hand with a silver aura on the extended forefinger An electric blue radiance | manifestation refs = }}Azuth ( ), also known as the Lord of Spells and the God of Wizards, was a lesser deity whose concerns included the perpetuation of the magical arts as a craft. He was worshiped by all manner of arcane spellcasters, though was venerated by wizards in particular. The Lord of Spells often appeared as an elderly man with a long, white beard garbed in antique clothes and wielding a gem-topped staff. He often came across as crotchety and cantankerous, even to other gods and was somewhat misunderstood. His dry wit and unending devotion to the pursuit of the arcane rubbed others the wrong way. In life, and beyond, Azuth maintained a dynamic relationship with his divine superior Mystra; having served as her Chosen, her subordinate and her lover. Divine Realm Azuth's divine realm, located on Buxenus, the second layer of Arcadia in the Great Wheel cosmology, was also called Azuth. Worshipers The clergy of Azuth were collectively known as the Magistrati and included wizards, monks and clerics within their ranks. They preferred to maintain their temples within large cities, align themselves with powerful magical guilds and act as a sort of magical administration, to facilitate communication between spellcasters and enforce the Magebond. Among the highest order of Azuth's followers were a group of arcane paragons known as the Favored. These heralds of magical development furthered the channeling of the Weave by formulating arcane processes, a process viewed as the apex of magical science among the faithful. The church of Azuth were widely viewed as archaic in their tradition, pedantic in their debates, and oblivious to the real-world problems within the Realms. They often possessed a moral neutrality that garnered an unfavorable opinion by the average layperson. Orders * Loomwarden: A stern sect of the church of Azuth that was distrusting of sorcerers and the more chaotic nature of Mystra's power. They were particularly influential in cities like Halarahh and Bezantur. * Spellsavants: This tolerant order of mages urged for cooperation between all practitioners of the arcane and idealized the cumulative efforts of humanity as a whole to push the boundaries of magical knowledge. Relationships Azuth was served by the deities Velsharoon and Savras, the latter with which he maintained a complex relationship, having kept the Lord of Divination as prisoner for many years. He also call Deneir, Oghma and Leira as allies of his, and had a close relationship with Anastra Syluné Silverhand. Azuth was subservient to both Mystra and later Midnight, having sat as an adviser for and acted as a favored student of the goddess of magic. On one occasion he was asked by the goddess to subtly manipulate the wizard Flamsterd. While his relationship with the first Mystra was one of deep mutual affection, he took a more paternal stance with her later incarnation - guiding her through a difficult time of acclimatization to her role. Although he was one of Mystra's lovers, he was in love with one of her Chosen, Alvaerele Tasundrym, having protected her from danger. History Records of Azuth's life as a mortal were virtually non-existent and Azuth himself did not deign to answer questions regarding the topic, therefore, most of what was known of Azuth's life was legend. As a mortal man, Azuth was hungry for power, and in his search for it he studied several lost empires in the hope of finding forgotten magical secrets. Eventually his dedication lead to him being granted the title of Magister, the first of his kind, recognized by Mystra as her most promising mortal pupil. At some point, Azuth believed himself no longer worthy of being called Magister, and so Mystra turned him instead to one of her Chosen. Ascension During or shortly after the Dawn Cataclysm, in his bid for divinity, Azuth sought to steal a portion of the demigod Savras' power in a gambit that ultimately failed. This led to a protracted series of battles between Azuth and Savras, culminating in a duel that shattered a mountain and created a deep lake. Azuth was successful and managed to imprison the deity Savras within a staff he had created, the Scepter of Savras. And thus, with the help of Mystra who had now become his lover, Azuth finally ascended to divine status. Azuth lost the staff, but Syluné Silverhand found it and returned it to him , whereupon Azuth began to feel guilty for imprisoning Savras and, after the Time of Troubles, freed him from his imprisonment in exchange for a pledge of fealty. Spellplague The destruction of Dweomerheart sent the dying Azuth into Asmodeus's domain of Nessus. Although many people believed the archdevil killed Azuth and consumed his divine essence to attain godhood, in fact Asmodeus fused with Azuth, and both gods coexisted since then in the same body. Most of the time Asmodeus overpowered Azuth, using his divine powers while the God of Wizards was in a dormant state. But in a rare few occasions Azuth was able to gain dominion of their shared body, and many denizens of the Nine Hells believed Asmodeus had become mad due to his strange behavior. The Second Sundering In 1486 DR, Azuth had regained most of his strength and was able to choose Ilstan Nyaril as his Chosen. Asmodeus and Azuth began to struggle for dominion over their shared body and the hierarchy of the Nine Hells was jeopardized because of that. Ilstan and Farideh, one of the Chosen of Asmodeus, devised a plan to separate both gods and avoid a potential devil invasion to all the multiverse. They contacted the god Enlil through his Chosen, Kepeshkmolik Dumuzi, and Asmodeus agreed to release Azuth from his body and to resurrect the Untherite god Nanna-Sin as a non-god immortal and in exchange Enlil allowed Asmodeus to consume Nanna-Sin's divine spark to become a god unto himself. In a ritual performed in Djerad Thymar amid the First Tymanther-Unther War, on Hammer 10 of 1487 DR, Ilstan sacrificed his life to allow Azuth become an individual god once more. After the Second Sundering ended, Azuth returned to the Faerûnian pantheon. Dogma Appendix Appearances ;Novels : *''The Devil You Know'' References Connections de:Azuth Category:Magic domain deities Category:Arcana domain deities Category:Illusion domain deities Category:Knowledge domain deities Category:Law domain deities Category:Spell domain deities Category:Exarchs Category:Lesser deities Category:Faerûnian pantheon Category:Human deities Category:Lawful neutral deities Category:Formerly mortal deities Category:Deities Category:Magisters Category:Wizards Category:Clerics Category:Archmages Category:Arcane devotees Category:Loremasters Category:Chosen Category:Chosen of Mystra Category:Inhabitants of Arcadia Category:Inhabitants of Buxenus Category:Inhabitants of Azuth (realm) Category:Inhabitants of Dweomerheart Category:Inhabitants of the Outer Planes Category:Inhabitants of the Great Wheel planes Category:Inhabitants of the Celestial Planes Category:Inhabitants of the World Tree planes Category:Knowledge mantle deities Category:Law mantle deities Category:Magic mantle deities Category:Mental power mantle deities Category:Inhabitants of masculine gender Category:Males